Device for preparing beverages such as coffee and the like



Dec. 22, 1931..

c. w. CARTER DEVICE FOR PREPARING BEVERAGES SUCH AS COFFEE AND THE- LIKE Filed July 28; 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 w m M 8 0 7 9 e 0 0 w 9 l w \l .1 J 3 7 9 5 A 9 W ,0? 105 O 0 mg Clarence W Carter Fig.5.

Dec. 22, 1931. c. w.- CARTER DEVICE FOR PREPARING BEVERAGES SUCH AS COFFEE AND THE LIKE Filed July 2a, 1928 5 sheets-sheet 2 Clare/1 c e W IL I athozmq S Dec. 22, 1931. c. w. CARTER 1,837,252

DEVICE FOR PREPARING BEVERAGES SUCH ASCOFFEE AND THE LIKE 5 Shets-Sheet 3 Filed July 28, 1928 Dec. 22, 1931. c. .w. CARTER 1,837,252

DEVICE FOR PREPARING BEVERAGES SUCH AS COFFEE AND THE LIKE Filed July 28, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Clarence W Carter" Fig.4.

Dec. 22, 1931. c, w. CARTER 1,837,252

DEVICE FOR PREPARING BEVERAGES SUCH AS COFFEE AND THE LIKE Filed July 28, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 9. PM]. \o:

gwuantoz Clarence W Carter i 1; lea-e- STATES PA Patented Dec. 22, 1931 ENT OFFICE.

cLAnnn'cn w. alumina, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA DEVICE FOR rnnranrno-Bnvnnaens anon AS oorrnn Ann THE LIKE In the making of coffee beverage, particularly for hotelandrestaurant use, it has been a common practice to place the coffee in bulk form in a fabric bag or in some suit- 5 able container with a perforated-bottom covcred with filter paper and to pour boiling hot water over the coffee. It is a well known fact that coffee ground extremely fine or pulverized produces more coffee beverage in fibrous material freed from the same has a tendency to more or less prevent thepassage of water through the ground coffee and the cloth filter paper, greatly retarding the process of preparing the beverage and also allowing the water (10 remain in contact with the coffee grounds for too long a period, thereby producing an undesirable flavor in the coffee be-.'erage. V

The pi imary object of mv' invention is to produce a device whereby coffee beverage may be made in a minimum length of time from iinelyground coffee so as to secure the maximum strength and quality of coffee from the ground coffee and at the same timeto produce a clear coffee beverage practically free fromparticles of fibrous material.

ll nocher obiect of the invention conslsts in the method of preparing coffee which resides in feeding the ground coffee in sheet-like format'on upon a permeable member and in y ngwater upon the ground coffee while in sheet-like formation.

an object of the invention resides in prong table and a pan adjacent said table incl-tending a ribbon forming a permeable member across said table and into said pan.

1923., Serial-N0. 295,862.

' A still further object of the invention resides in providing a receptacle for ground coffee open at its bottom, and superimposing said ribbon and table and to further provide a movable closure for the bottom of said receptacle adapted in conjunction therewith to deposit a sheet of coffee upon saidribbon. v Another object of the invention resides in providing means for moving the ribbonwith the sheet of coffeethereon'from said table and into said pan and in further providing a spraying device for spraying water upon the coli'ee'while in sheet-like formation in said pan.

ob ect of the 1nvent1on resides 1n providing 1 means for compacting the sheet of coffee disposed upon said ribbon so as to form the same of uniform density.

A still further object of the invention rerides in constructing said spraying device in the form of aswinging arm whereby the spray is shifted from one end of the pan to the other. i r

A still further object ofthe invention resides in providing a ribbon feeding device whereby the ribbon is intermittently moved along said pan andin further forming said ribbon feeding device with a reverse feed mechanism whereby reverse movement is given to the ribbon at the. end of its, forward inovementto' cause the ribbon and coffee to descend to the bottom of said pan. 7

, Still further objects of the invention reside in the particular construction whereby the various results of the device are automatically accomplished.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings: Fig. 1

is a front elevational view of a coffee preparing device illustrating an em bodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view of a portion of the 1 structure shown in Fig. 1 taken on line 2 2 of'Fig. 1 and drawn to a somewhat larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal elevational section al viewtaken onjline 33 of 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse elevational sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2 and drawn to a larger scale.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the gear train for operating the device.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the cam and operating mechanism for operating the ground coffee feed slide.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the cam and operating mechanism for controlling the flow of water to the device.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the cam and operating device for lifting the coffee receptacle up from the coffee ribbon.

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view of the cam and operating mechanism for moving the ribbon through the device.

In the following description of my invention and in the claims I have used the words coffee beverage merely as illustrative, it being readily comprehended that the invention may be utilized for the preparation of other beverages such as tea and the like, or in fact for other purposes entirely different in which it is desired to subject a layer of substance to the action of a spray of water. I have further referred to ground coffee as indicating the coffee prior to the preparation of the beverage therefrom, though it is to be understood that coffee may be ground or pulverized to any degree necessary to the production of the most suitable beverage depending upon the particular brand of coffee used.

The invention includes a coffee urn A in which the prepared coffee beverage is finally discharged, a water reservoir B from which hot water is supplied for the preparation of the coffee, and a device C from which the beverage is prepared, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described in detail.

The coffee urn A may be of any suitable construction comprising a tank or reservoir 10 open at the top and adapted to be closed by means of a cover 11. This tank may be supported upon a base 12 in such a manner as to permit of the disposition of a gas burner beneath the same so that the coffee within said urn may at all times be kept at the proper indicated at 16, which includes a water supply pipe 17 adapted to be connected to any water supply system operating under a suitable pressure. The fioat valve mechanism 16 operates in the customary manner and serves to maintain the water within the reservoir 14 at a predetermined elevation. A water supply pipe 18 is connected from the upper portion of reservoir B and enters the coffee preparing device C where the same is utilized as will be later explained. A valve 161 in this pipe serves to control the flow of water into the device which governs the strength of the coffee beverage.

The coffee preparing device which I have indicated in its entirety at C, is housed within a case 19 comprising front and rear walls 20 and 21 and end walls 22 connected to said front and rear walls by means of angles 23, or any other suitable construction. These various walls may rest directly upon a counter or table such as designated at 24 or the entire device may be built up from the floor in which instance the table top 24 would form a part of the construction covering my invention. lVithin the interior of case 19 is arranged a partition 25 which is spaced from the wall 21 of said case and lies parallel therewith. This partition is connected to the end wall 22 by means of an angle 26 and is further connected to the rear wall 21 by means of a plate 27 and a number of angles 28. The various walls of this case are pref erably constructed of a heavy sheet metal and are of such dimensions and strength as to support the various elements of the invention and to form bearings for the journaling of the various shafts used in connection with the same.

In the coffee preparing device the coffee which is contained within a receptacle 33 is fed on a ribbon 29 in sheet-like formation. Coffee so disposed is transferred by means of a ribbon feeding device indicated in its entirety at 30 across a pan 31. lVhile superimposing this pan the same is sprayed with a spray of water from a water spraying device indicated at 82 whereby a coffee beverage is prepared and collected in the said pan from whence the prepared beverage is drained into the coffee urn A previously referred to. All of these various elements of my invention will now be successively described in detail.

The cofiee pan 81 best shown in Figs. 2 and 8 is formed with a bottom 34 with sloping side walls 35 and 36 and sloping end walls 37 and 38. This pan is relatively shallow in depth and is disposed in a horizontal position within the case 19. From the end wall 37 of pan 31 extends a horizontal table 39 lying flush with the upper edges of said pan, which table terminates in a curved lip 40 extending downwardly therefrom. A similar lip 44 is formed on the end of the inclined wall 38. The entire structure comprising I ese tableJSQfand pa n" 3175155 by, the side walls 20 and 21 of the case 19 through a miniber of cross bars 45 whibh areforlhed with dependingieai's ld rigidlyfsecnred to the said ci oss bars. These ress, barsli'aye spring clips fwhich engag the edge of said pan and table and hold thesfarne in 'pla'c'e.

The ribbon 29 is :vmmdupen a reel 41 lhaying a shait't'42, which'reelisfsupported tlii'oiigh said shaft in's p riiig clip's 4'3 seciir'ed iiig thereof.v "The ribbon '2'9 pas'ses around the Vice and readily chrved lip 40 of tiable' 39 andioye 'isai'cl table and across the pan'31 wherethesame leaves i' hedevice over the lip 44 formed on pan 31.

f shee'tf ameeeeee' t ee derbmnie bnl'lg andto'lie in corhpacted form upon the ribbon'QQ. The coifee receptacle 331 is subseqnently fr'aised and the ribbon with the wa't erisfsprayed over the sheet or layer of 'e'otteega ndf the liquid permeating through the we san'i-e 'and 'theribbon collected and drained' V Forspraying the "water oyer'the layer of eofiee in" the pan'31, I' employ thespraying fdeyjice '32j'whic'h comprises a sw nging membier 60 best-shownin detail in Fig. 4. This 2"530' iineinberflis lconstrneted in the shape of an inv'er ted T andisforhied with an upstandlng 1ste'n1 71 and a horiz o'nt'al'base 69 "connected and receptacle 33 are first reinoved permit ting of insert ng shaft 42into the clips 43.

Theribbon is moye'd across the said pan and table 39 by means of theshifting device 30, as

will presently be described.

the receptacle 33 tongr'ohnd cofl'ee "This receptacle isforined with end walls 47 and 48and sidewalls49 a'nd50 'andlis constructed openat the top andbottom. To the side walls 49 and 50 are attached two' arms 51' and 52 wardly extending pins 5mm 54 which are adapted to I lodge in bearings 55 and 56 attached to the walls 20 and 21 of case 19.

per portions thereof so that the entire coffee receptacle may be bodily lifted from the de- 7 replaced when desired and at the saliie time serve tosupport the redep ;t liei-ewitl 1. The water supply pipe 18 is A h brought into thefcase 19 through the"side" In eng ne-unseen of the ribbeh the pan 31 "suitable elbows 63F'and 64. These Various iu'iis'are' supported within the case by means "fetbiiackets 65, 66 and 67which hold tha r i ",strticture in fixed position. The'run 62 of Immediately above the table 39 is disposed the water'supplypipe is constructed with an ,opening GS and passes through the base 69 oi' ineinber 60 which i'sjou'rnaled on said pipe.

min. 'The extreme ends of the base 69 are threaded to receive'jpacking n its 7O wherebyh water tight connection between the saidswin'ging member"60 and thepipe 11 111162 is efieote'd. The stem 71 is formed.

with a central passageway 72which cominu- 'niates 'with the interior of the pipe I 18 throughthe op'ningbS. A tube 73is'direct- 'ly' connected to the'stem 71 and corhmuni- These bearings are preferably open at the 1111-" catesfjwith the passagewayj fl. This tube is,

evenethe p wh tube iSfOrm-Bd tacle wten'mounced, for movementftoward and hem the table 39, -The two' arms 51-and are constructed withlfacing'grooves 57 in whieh is slidably mounted .a slide 58 serving as a closure for the bottom of'the receptaEle 33. The groove 57 is so disposed that when the eiids of'the 'walls49 and 50 and 4'? of receptacle 33 rest upon the table 39, the

said slide is positioned in a predeter'mined spaced parallel relation wlthlr'espect to said tablewA weight 59 Fig.- lser'vesj to force the coffee downwardly withinthe receptacle and iipon the slide 57 so as to compact the sheet of cofi'ee subsequently formed on the ribbon 29. r v p I p In the feeding of the eofl'ee from the receptacle 33 thesaid receptaqle is caused to'rest" upon the ribbon 29 and table 39. Slide 57 is then withdrawn causing the weight 59 to force the oofieedownwardly and upon the upperrnnof theribhen lSli'de 57 next with antnnber ofnozzles75 adapted to spray waterdownwardly and upon the layenof coffee disposed within the pan 31. By swingthe member 60 uptm the"pipe ru 62 011M jn'ozzles fffi arecansed to successively spray the "water over the entire area covered by the sheet or layer of gronndcofl'ee. Due to the sprayed npon" the coffee in pan 131 permeates slowly through the sanie,absorbing the coffee extraict and forming the usual cofl'ee bey er i n N .1 i 7 I i For thepurpose Qf COll6C1/1Ilg the coffee" from the 'panfi an opening 76'is formedin one endof the bottorn 34ad' acent the wall' 36 ofsaid pan. A trough 77fadapted, to be positioned beneath this opening extends throh he thejwall 20 of case"19'and enters the'bofiee 2 urn 'A' asbest shown 'in'Fig, 4, The ribbon 29 w1'thin the pan 31 is preferably arranged to rest'upon a screen 7 8 or somefother 'suit@ H t l l r hi willfll wthe efi i ift moved into closing position whichcauses af'aiation' pernieatingthroughthe-said rib 1 0 V ofcoff'ee thereon "drawnacross the pan f'31fanjd"allowed to descend open the bottom" ltheieof. VVhile so disposed "the spray of .bon to rapidly drain toward the opening 76.

in this manner uniformity of the coffee beverage is assured together with the rapid draining of the same from the device.

If desired, a second ribbon 7 9 may be employed to cover thesheet of coffee deposited noon the ribbin 29. Such second ribbon is preferably reeled upon a reel 80 similar to the reel all which is mounted immediately above the pan 31. This reel is pr vided with a shaft 81 which is supported in spring clips similar to the clips 18, and attached to supports Sel secured to the side walls 20 and 21 of case 19. The clips 82 provide sufficient friction upon the shaft 81 to prevent the rdabon from unreeling the same as the clips 1-3. This ribbon may, however, be dispcnsed with if desired and the device operated solely with the ribbon 29, when in such case it may be necessary to regulate the discharge of water as to avoid disturbing the sheet of coffee car ied by said ribbon.

The various movements of the ribbons and the feeding of the coffee over the same is automatically accomplished in the instant form of the invention through a series of cams which are mounted upon a single cam shaft 80 journaled in the side walls 20 and 21 of case 19 and the partition thereof, which cams have been illustrated in diagrammatic form in Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive.

For moving the ribbons along the pan 31 V I employ a ll-shaped lever 87 which is secured to a shaft 88 journaled in the wall 20 and partition 25 of case 19. This shaft is held from longitudinal movement by means of collars 89 and is disposed somewhat above the cam shaft 86. The lever 87 has an arm 90 formed thereon which carries a roller 91 adapted to engage the edge of a cam 92 mounted on shaft 86. A spring 93 is socured to this arm at one end and at its other end to a rod 91 attached to case 19. This spring serves to hold t is roller 91 in contact with the surface of cam 92 and to swing the lever 87 upwardly to bring the further end thereof in close proximity to the lip 44 formed on pan 31. the same is formed with a cross head terminating in two downwardly extending cars 96. A shaft 97 is journaled in these cars and has attached to its extreme. ends two arms 99 issuing outwardly therefrom. A rod 100 secured at its ends to the said arms causes said arms to move in unison head 95 is attached a plate 102 which ex tends outwardly beyond the same to within a short distance of the lip 44. This plate has secured to the underside thereof an angle plate 103 which forms a corner indicated at downwardlyinto the case 19.

At this end of lever 87 10 1 between the outstanding leg of said angle and plate 102. This corner is so disposed as to receive the rod 100 when the arms 99 are oscillated in the proper direction. Both of the ribbons 29 and 79 are threaded between the plate 102 and the rod 100, which rod when moved toward the corner 10 1, wedgesthe ribbons against the walls thereof, serving as a clutch for holding the ribbon from movement relative to arm 87. When this crutch mechanism has been set, the arm 87 may be drawn lownwardly through the action of cam 92 which causes the ribbons to be drawn over the top of the pan 31 and As the ribbon is'fed through the machine the same drops intothe bottom of the case below the counter where the same may be subsequently reclaimed if desired.

For bringing the rod into engagement with the member 102 to clutch the ribbon, I cmpioy a stationary cam 105 which is at ta ed to the end wall 22 of casing 19 by of bolts 106. This cam is formed vith an *euate surface 107 having its center at the axis of shaft 88 and with a spiraling surface 108 gradually increasing in radius. The. two surfaces of cam 105 are adapted to engage the rod 100 during the upward movement of arm 87 so as to bring the said rod into operative engagement to clutch the ribbon as heretofore referred to. In conjunction vith the shaft 97 to which the arms 99 are rigidly secured ll employ a friction device indicated at 109 in Fig. 5, which is secured to the cross head 95 of arm 8. This riction device comprises a loop 110 of reilient material which surrounds the shaft 7 and which affords frictional contact be- "ween the same. A bolt 111 passing through tl e said loop serves t regulate the amount of friction upon the said shaft. For moving the rod 100 out of engagement with th member 102 so as to release the ribbon, I employ a rod 112 which is secured across the side walls 20 and 21 of case 19 and which so arranged as to engage the fingers 101 when the arm 8? reaches its extreme lowermost position. Such movement swings the rod clear from the member 102 which allows he said arm 87 to travel upwardly from ribbon until said rod 100 strikes the sur- 108 and am 105. At such time the said "od is again swung inwardly to grip the ribbon whereby the same will be subsequently drawn along the pan 31 when the lever 87' m v. next distance movement. It will be noted that rod 100 is moved into operative position at a time appreciably in advance of the lever 87 reaching its uppermost position. This is for the express purpose of feeding the ribbons and T9 in a reverse direction at the end of the ribbon feeding movement so as to cause the said ribbons and the deposit of coffee therebetween to descend to the bottom 34 of pan 31. When the arm 87 'first operates the same draws the ribbons" against the upper edgesofthe'pan 31 and intlevate'dl position relativeto the bottom 34 thereof. The particular reverse movement specified serves tobring the ribbons and coffee back to the proper position-to receive the water from the various nozzles 75 of the tubular member 74;

' In conjunction wi h the water supply system forlspraying the cofiee, a valve l l3 is employed which is operatedf through a lever 114 and a cam115-mounted onshaft 88. The valve 113 may be of ordinary construction and is provided witha valve stem 116 through which the said valve may be opened and closed upon raising and lowering thereof; This valve ispreferably arrangedinthe longitudinalprun 61 f watersupplypipe 18 and is disposedwith the stem116 extending upwardly. The lever 114 is mounted on a shaft 117 which is j ournaled in' the 'wall 20 of case 19 and in a bracket 118 secured to said'wallQ One end of v lever 1 14is connected by "means if. l itO h1 Y Y6 stem 11 'Wh 1Bt itr and t se l ter ce ri l l r 12 eklai teglit fenee e t ge Qf th m; 1 A spring 121is'attaclied to lever 114 and'tjo the. engitudinal run 61, of pipe18fl I op er tie f is ipr ng se rve t m ntainf Valve'113 cl d, Wh the 6am 1 openslf a valve against theactionof 'said spring;

The 511191558 of coffee'receptacle 33'is ope uted by m ans? 9 e vert c lly d sp sed b nk 22 nid am. 1 3'm 1 nt Q h ha 86; The b ll 22 i ttach d t a S a t .24 whic is i'q fna ed t ili idef Wel s e clpar t n i ta t 9- Oxi end 0 th 1 bell cranlg'jl22 is: pivotally connected by means of a link125 to a BEG rigidly secured to the slide, other endof said bell P ank ea ths a ll i w h dap edto engage'thesurface' of'the cam 123st) as to operate the said slide as the shaft 86 r0- tates. A spring128 secured at oiieend'to'an sheet of coffee froiii" bulktliereof. "re permitof the movement of the ribbon 29 with thesheet of toast thereon in undistiirbed state rom" the 1 receptacle 33, a lifter 131 is employed which isattaclied to a shaft 132 journaledinthewall 20' and partition 25 of clase E This lifter carriesa roller133 intermediate the endslther'eoflwhich roller is adapted to engage the "surface of a ca 1'n134 mountedon shaft 86. The end of the lifter 131' whichis oifsetfrom the 'major'portion thereof carries 'avertically extending pin 135 which is adapted to engage the arm 51 sup porting the receptacle '33. 'As the cam 134 rotates; the" pin 135 is raisedupwardly in such a manner as to simultaneously raise the entire receptacle 33 about its'pivotsso that the same becomes elevated above the sheet of coffeedeposited upon the ribbon-'29. Upon the'raisingot the said receptacle in thismanner the shifting device 30 is free to draw the-ribbon 29 across the pan" 31 where the fresh deposit oficoffeemay be acted upon by thespray of water from the tubei7 4.

he camshaft. 86 is driven through a train of reduction gearing shown indetail in Fig. 6. As willbest be seen'in' Fig; 2, shaft86 extends through tliespace betweenthepartition 25 and the wall 21"ofcase'19. 'Within this spaceand upon said shaftis attached a spur gear 136. This gear meshes withas'p r piniou 137l on a shaft 138 situated somewhat below the shaft 861 Shaft 138is journaled in the partition 25 and wall 21 and carries a spurg'ear 139 slightly smaller than the gea 136 *This spur gear 'in turn meshes with ar second spur pinion 140 mountedbn a shaft a Shaft s il lyj urnaiedto shaft 138 and carries a spur gear l42 similar'to a spur gear 139." This: gear in turn" meshes with another pinion 143 fast on shaft 144 which in turn carries a last spur gear 145 meshing with a spur pinion 146 on ashaft 147. Both the shafts 144 and 147 are jour naled similar to the shafts 138 and'141 except that the shafts 147 extend outwardly beyond the wall 21 where the same has attached toit a pulley 148 means of which the said shaft may be rotated from a suitable source 8 of power such'as an electric motor or other similar device. :All of these gearsasIwiH be clearly seen inFig. 2 are disposed within the space between thewall 21and partition 25of case19h1 For the purposeof oscillating the swingin'g' member 60 lemploy an oscillating arm 149 Fig. 3 which is attached to a shaft 150 journaled in the wall 20 and partition 25 of case 19. Thisarm has mounted in it at one end a roller 151 which engagesa cam 152 mounted uponshaft 141. This shaft projects throughthe partition 25 where the same receives saidcam so as to brina, the lever 149 substantially in alignment with the member 60. At its remote end the arm 149 haspiv- V ot ed to it a link 153 which in turn is pivoted at itsother endto a tfunnion 154 issuing'outwardly from the upper end of the stem 71. Acotter pin 155 holds this link in place upon the'said trunnion. The cam is of such formation as to give the portion? 4 of the water spraying system a substantially uniform e movement over the layer of coffee within the pan 31. In this manner all of the coffee receives the same amount of water so that the bei erage is of uniform quality andstrength. It will be noted that the cam 152 operates continuously and at a relatively hi her rate of speed than the cam shaft 86 so that the tubular member 74 travels at all times regardless of whether or not the supply of water is cut on or cut off.

In the operation of the device the sequence of the various operations can best be comprehended from an inspection of Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive. In these figures the various cams have been illustrated separately though as a matter of fact the same are mounted upon the same shaft, namely, the cam shaft 86, and occupy the same relative positions as shown in these various figures. However, due to the disposition of the various rollers operating the various elements of th device the corresponding phases of the cams with respect to one another are different and for this reason corresponding positions upon the various cams have been indicated in dotted lines and correspondingly designated by the same reference characters. Assuming a fresh chargeof coffee to have been deposited upon the ribbon 29 and properly disposed within the pan 31 the position of the various cams with respect to their respective rollers would be as indicated at position 156. At such position it will be noted that lever 87 is uppermost with the ribbon lying upon the bottom of pan 31. At this position the cam 115 engaging roller 120 is about to open the valve 113 so as to spray water upon the layer of coffee within the pan 31. At the same time the slide 57 is in closed position and the receptacle 33 rests upon the table 39. As the cam shaft 86 continues to rotate in the direction shown by the arrows, the roller 91 rides upon the circular face of cam '92 without effecting any movement of the lever 87. soon as the roller 120 reaches the high portion of cam 115 the water valve 113 is fully opened and the spraying of water upon the layer of coffee in pan 31 continues. At position 156 roller 133 is on thecircular portion of cam 134 which holds the pin 135 free from the coffee receptacle 33 allowing the same to rest upon the ribbon 29 and table 39. It will be noted from Fig. 7 that at position 156 roller 12'? is about to travel along the inwardly extending portion 157 of cam 123 which causes the spring 128 to move lever 122 outwardly and draw the slide 57 with it. This permits the weight 59 to force the coffee in receptacle 33 downwardly and upon the ribbon 29 where the same is firmly compacted. When the cams reach position 158, slide 57 will be in its outermost position. As the cams continue to rotate the cam surface 15'? forces the lever 122 inwardly so as to close the slide 58 and sever the sheet of coffee resting upon the ribbon 29 from the major portion of the bull: thereof. When roller 12'. reaches position 159 slide 5'? is completely closed. After leaving position 159 the cams rotate practically 180 degrees without altering the positions of the various members, during which time water is being sprayed upon the layer of coffee in the pan 31 and the coffee beverage prepared therefrom and drained into the coffee urn A. 115 reaches position 160, the water supply is cut oil. lVhen cam 134 reaches position 151 lever 131 is elevated, which causes the coffee receptacle 33 to be sufficiently raised to permit of drawing the ribbon with the sheet or layer of coffee thereon outwardly and over the pan 31. Such movement is started at position 162 by cam 92 and continues up to position 156 in which the ribbon will have been drawn from beneath the coffee receptacle across the pan 31 and back into the pan, and the lever 87 will have returned to normal position. It will be noted that during this operation all of the other elements are inoperative excepting the coffee receptacle lifting device which maintains the coffee receptacle elevated wherein upon arrival at position 156 the same cycle of operations occur.

Although I have described mydevice and process as operating intermittently, it is obvious that the coffee may be continuously fed upon the ribbon and the ribbon moved continuously.

My invention is highly meritorious in that a simple and positive device is provided whereby beverages such as coffee and the like may be automatically prepared. By regulating the position of the water valve, any desired strength of coffee may be prepared. The device occupies aminimum amount of space and is adapted to operate continuously without appreciable attention. The ribbon utilized in receiving the layer of cofi'ee may be constructed of inexpensive material so that the same may be discarded after use or the same may be reclaimed, as desired.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a pan, a ribbon having a layer of coffee deposited thereon, a clutch adapted to engage said ribbon, means for reciprocating said clutch to cause the same to draw the ribbon across said pan, and means for releasing said clutch to permit of the return movement thereof after the layer of L3? coffee has been brought into proper position above said pan, and means for reengaging said clutch upon its return movement prior to the arrival thereof at its extreme position so as to cause said ribbon to descend to the bottom of said pan.

2. In combination, a pan, a ribbon adapted tobe moved across the upper portions of said pan, a swinging arm having a clutch at its free end adapted to move toward and from When cam means for causing the disengagement of said clutch from said ribbon upon its movement 7 toward said pan.

3. In'combination, a coffee receptacle having a movable bottom, a member for receiving ground coffee in sheet formation, means for supporting said receptacle with the bottom thereof in spaced relation to said meniber, the coffee within said receptacle being adapted torest upon said member when said movable bottom has been withdrawn, said bottom serving to separate the lowermost strata of coffee from the bulklthereof upon inward movement to cause the same to lie in sheet formation upon said member, and means for freeing the ground cofiee so formed from said receptacle to permit of the removal of said member from thecoffee receptacle. v

i. In combination, a receptacle for ground coffee open at the bottom, a slide for opening and closing the bottom of said receptacle, a table, a permeable member movable across said table, means for movably supporting said receptacle with the slide thereof spaced from said permeable member and table, said slide being movable outwardly and inwardly to deposit sheets of cofiee upon said permeable member and said receptacle and table being relatively movable toward and from one an other to free the coffee deposited upon said permeable member so as to allow the movement of said member from the coffee receptacle.

5. In combination, a permeable member for the reception of a layer of ground coffee, a water conduit superimposing said member,

' said conduit having a series of perforations adapted to spray water upon the layer of coffee, means for moving said conduit from one end to the other of said layer of coffee, and means for feeding water to said conduit during such movement.

6. In combination, a permeable member for the reception of a layer of ground coffee, a pivoted arm, a water conduit carried by said arm and extending over said member, said conduit having a series of perforations adapted to spray water upon the layer of coffee on said permeable member, means for oscillating said arm to move said conduit over said. codes from one end thereof to the other, and means for feeding water into said conduit during the oscillation of said arm.

7. In combination, a leaching pan, a ribbon having a layer of coffee deposited thereon, means for drawing said ribbon across the upper port-ion of said leaching pan, and means for causing said ribbon and coffee to descend downwardly upon the bottom of said pan.

' 8.; In combination, apan, a ribbonhavingia layer of coffee deposited thereon, a clutch adapted to engage said ribbon, means for; reciprocating saidclutch to cause the same to draw the ribbon across said pan, and means for releasing saidclutch for return movement thereof.

.9. In combination, a panjhavinga ribbon adaptedto be moved across the upper portions of said pan, a swinging. arm'havmga clutch at its free end adapted to move to:

ward and from one of the endsfof said pan,

said clutch being adapted to engage said ribbonto cause themove-ment of the same across said pan, means for causing the engagement of said clutch with said ribbon upon its movement from said pan, means for causing the disengagement of said clutch from said ribbon upon its movement toward said pan, and means for causing the reengagement of said clutch with said ribbon prior to the arrival of such clutch at its extreme return position so as to cause reverse movement of said ribbon to cause thesame to descend to the bottom of said pan.

10. In combination, a pan having a fiat bottom, a ribbon movable across the edge of said pan, means forfeeding coffee upon said ribbon'in sheet-like formation, means for moving the coffee while in sheet-like formation upon the bottom of said pan, and means for applying water to the coffee while disposed upon the bottom of said pan.

11. In combination, a pan having a flat bottom, a ribbon movable across the edge of said pan, means for feeding batches of coffee upon said ribbon in sheet-like format-ion, said batches being of an area substantially equal to the area of the bot-tom of the pan, means for moving the coffee from said feeding device to the bottom of the pan, and means for applying water to the coffee while in said pan.

12. In combination, a pan having a flat bottom, a ribbon movable across the edge of said pan, means for feeding coffee upon said ribbon in sheet-like formationupon the bottom of said pan, means for applying water to the coffee while disposed upon the bottom of said pan, and means for arresting the movement of said coffee in said pan during the application of water thereto. i

13. In combination, a support, a ribbon movable across said support, a second ribbon positioned above said first ribbon and movable therewith, means for feeding coffee in sheet-like formation between said ribbons, and means for applying water to the coffee while disposed between said ribbons.

14:. In combination, a support, a ribbon movable across said support, means superimposing said support for feeding coffee upon said ribbon, a second 'ibbon, means for laying said second ribbon upon the coffee deposited upon said first ribbon, and means for applying water to the coffee While disposed between said ribbons.

15. In combination, a support, a ribbon movable across said support, a colfee receptacle superimposing said ribbon and support, said receptacle having its lower edge adapted to engage the ribbon, a bottom Within said receptacle spaced from said ribbon and movable from said receptacle to deposit a sheet of coffee thereon, and means for raising said receptacle upwardly from said support.

Tn testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature to this specification.

CLARENCE W. CARTER. 

